Reader's Comments - Index of - Free

Tripods
In operation the head is very smooth, and tightens up with none of the dread "tripod
head creep" I have experienced with virtually every other pan/tilt head I have used.
The only drawback for field use is the size and weight of the thing. When my
sometimes assistant looked at it for the first time he asked me where I got the
bucket. I am of the impression if you are using 600mm f/4 or longer heavier lenses
you will have no problems.; It certainly supports a 8x10 Sinar P2 nicely. Is any
tripod head worth US$650.00? I cannot honestly answer that because I waited till I
found a used one through the photo.net classifieds. Eventually I probably would
have sprung for a new one. It is definitely the the ultimate tripod head as far as I am
concerned.
-- Ellis Vener, November 14, 1998
The Bogen 3205, the black anodised verson of the 3001 was everything I wanted in
a traveling tripod on a recent trip to Italy. It weighs just over 3 1/2 lbs. and sets up
quickly. I had the Arca B-1 head attached, and often carried my F5 on the tripod
just over my shoulder so that when I saw something that caught my eye, all I had to
do was let the legs down and spread them out. It was fast, convenient and
absolutely solid and steady. My dusk to night photos were all tack sharp, as well as,
of course, the daytime photos. The set up was so convenient that I don't think I took
a handheld photo in over two weeks. I could not have carried my heavier Bogen,
and after investing in the Arca B1, I could not see mounting it on my old traveling
pod, a Slik U-112, nor spending $500+ on a carbon fiber. Light, rock solid (even
with the 80-200 2.8), and only $75.00 is a hard combination to beat.
-- Dennis Caspe, November 14, 1998
I am aware that many people have "religion" about the Arca-Swiss quick release
system. I like it too. But, my ballhead is not equiped with a standard Acra-Swiss
clamp, so I recently went shopping for an add-on adapter plate. A funny thing
happened on the way to the store: I found a very different solution that it turns out I
like very much: the Hasselblad tripod quick coupling system. (Really.)
Why? Well, for one thing I own Hasselblads, and it turns out that recent Hasselblad
camera bodies have a quick coupling plate built into the camera bottom. This plate
is designed for the Hasselblad clamp, of course. But additional mounting plates are
available for other equipment.
Since I use both Hasselblad and 35mm gear, I thought I should at least check this
out. I found I really liked the design. The mounting plates are slim and streamlined,
and very unobstrusive when mounted on my 35mm bodies and lenses. The QR
clamp itself has dual lever mechanism: one that must be held down to permit the
plate to slide onto the bed; when "at rest" it holds the plate loosely in place. A
http://www.photo.net/equipment/tripods/philg (18 of 53)7/3/2005 2:21:13 AM